Officer Accused of Choking Skateboarder
By JON GAMBRELL, AP Posted: 2007-06-27 14:52:22 Filed Under: Nation LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (June 27) - A police officer who appears to choke a skateboarder and put two others in a headlock in a video posted online has been put on administrative leave while police investigate, officials said.Watch the Incident
Hot Springs Mayor Mike Bush said Tuesday that investigators have talked with witnesses who saw the officer, Joey Williams, stop the skateboarders on a downtown city sidewalk last Thursday. Skateboarding is banned in the area.
The video shows Williams apparently choking one of the skateboarders after forcing him to the ground, then later chasing and wrestling two others while holding them in a headlock.
"Unfortunately, the video shows it pretty good," Bush said.
Bush said he won't be sure of the city's next step until the investigation is complete. The video, taken by Matthew Jon McCormack and another unidentified skater, was posted Monday on YouTube, a popular Internet site.What's Your Take?
Williams can be heard threatening one person with pepper spray if he moved, and several voices are heard asking why they were being arrested. One person can be seen running from Williams, and Williams later tells them they are fleeing and acting disorderly.
Williams did not answer a request through the department for an interview and did not respond to a phone message left at a home number in his name.
Police spokesman McCrary Means identified two of those arrested as McCormack, 21, and Skylar Nalls, 19, both of Hot Springs. McCormack faces a misdemeanor battery charge after allegedly pushing or striking a 67-year-old city employee during the altercation, Means said. Nalls was cited for skateboarding and faces misdemeanor charges of fleeing and obstructing governmental operations.
Four juveniles involved in the incident also face skateboarding citations and resisting arrest charges, Means said.
McCormack disputed many of the police allegations, especially his battery charge. He said he pulled on the city employee's arm after the man picked a girl off her feet in a choke-hold.
Hot Springs is a resort town about 50 miles west of Little Rock. Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL. 2007-06-27 12:43:07Bookmark:
go skateboarding day: cop v.s. skaters
by purplesofa 54 Replies latest jw friends
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purplesofa
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purplesofa
NEW INFORMATION! joey williams has a history of police brutality.a fifty eight year old hot springs woman whose hand and foot were broken during an arrest made by officer joey williams has come forward.she also recieved a concussion and multiple severe bruising.this information is currently being leaked to the press and she is willing to come forward and share her story to stop this abuse from happening to someone else. -
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Gretchen956
I'll weigh in, this cop is a bustard. He's a wyatt earp high on his own testosterone. He had no reason to use this type of force against these kids. He could do a lot more good with these kids with diplomacy, tact and redirection but he had to be an ass.
I was married to a cop for 15 years so that makes me at least as much an expert as mr dispatcher that keeps telling the tale of woe about the poor cops. Lets talk about the career of law enforcement. Has anyone looked at the job requirements lately? In most of the United States, this career, which calls for decisions daily about the use of deadly force, only requires an ASSOCIATES degree in Criminal Justice. For those that don't know what an AA degree is, thats two years in Junior College.
The cops make diddly squat, and put up with a lot of shyt. Soon they get to where they are cynical and distrust everyone. Yes this is a generalization, happens to fit the many many many in law enforcement that I personally know in more than one department. Want to know a bit more about this wonderful career? One of the highest rates of spousal abuse by a profession. Must be all that control.
As for me I'm probably not any more dispassionate than mr. dispatcher, and with equal reason. The elders told me my cop husband was "mean" to me and to my son because I must be doing something wrong. Guess it pays to be a boy in the good old boys club.
Sherry
(who still has a chip on her shoulder) -
purplesofa
There was an announcement on CNN today that the officer was back at work and it was found that he did not use excessive force.
Skateboarders Protest in Hot Springs
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Supporters gathered in Hot Springs today to protest what they say was excessive force used on skateboarders last month.
Six young skateboarders were arrested in hot springs on "national skateboarding day" and the whole event was captured by one of the skaters on video tape.
Sunday protestors and supporters of policemen walked the streets of Hot Springs expressing their opinions.
An internal investigation by Hot Springs police cleared officer Joey Williams of any wrongdoing.
Witnesses told police the skateboarders were asked to leave the area by local merchants before police arrived.Coleen Coulter, Producer Created: 7/8/2007 9:25:46 PM Updated: 7/8/2007 9:51:10 PM
